For Immediate Release
Contact: Hillary Crowder Smith, 703-351-2086, [email protected]
Arlington, Va. (April 28, 2016)—NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association issued the following statement from Michael Romano, senior vice president of policy, regarding today’s vote by the FCC on a further notice of proposed rulemaking with respect to future regulation of business data services—also known as special access services:
“NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association has long advocated for common-sense regulation of communications services that does not draw artificial distinctions between technology or the self-declared classification of a given provider. In the decade-plus of debates over the classification of VoIP and even more recently in the net neutrality debates, NTCA has consistently encouraged policymakers to focus on the fundamental fact that the transmission of data from one point to another should be viewed and regulated the same way—regardless of how a particular provider may spin its service offering or the underlying technology used in the act of transmitting data.
“Without getting into the specifics of any regulatory structure proposed, today’s action by the commission sounds like it may take a useful step in that direction. In particular, to the extent that today’s action echoes the sentiment of a recent letter in which Verizon and INCOMPAS advocated that all dedicated services provided by all providers should be subject to the same regulatory framework, this would be a welcome step indeed. As NTCA noted in the net neutrality debate, there is no logic in maintaining arbitrary distinctions that focus upon technology rather than function or treat as dispositive the ‘geographic’ nature of a transmission facility—last mile versus second mile versus middle mile versus long-haul transmission—in applying regulations.
“If today’s action by the commission takes us a step closer to the logical conclusion where all network transmission is subject to comparable regulatory treatment and all providers of such transmission are subject to those comparable regulations, this is a welcome step. NTCA is eager to see whether the item voted today truly advances the debate toward these logical end points, or if the item instead perpetuates some arbitrary distinctions even as it seeks to eliminate others.”
###
NTCA–The Rural Broadband Association is the premier association representing nearly 900 independent, community-based telecommunications companies that are leading innovation in rural and small-town America. NTCA advocates on behalf of its members in the legislative and regulatory arenas, and it provides training and development; publications and industry events; and an array of employee benefit programs. In an era of exploding technology, deregulation and marketplace competition, NTCA’s members are leading the IP evolution for rural consumers, delivering technologies that make rural communities vibrant places in which to live and do business. Because of their efforts, rural America is fertile ground for innovation in economic development and commerce, education, health care, government services, security and smart energy use. Visit us at www.ntca.org.